For most drugs, proper dosing is complicated by several factors. First, the time course of drug levels over time varies from patient to patient. This is termed pharmacokinetic uncertainty. Second, the drug level that corresponds to a desired clinical effect varies from patient to patient. This is termed pharmacodynamics uncertainty. Third, patients can develop tolerance and dependence to medications if the effect-site is exposed to the drug at sufficient concentrations over sufficient time.
Many commonly prescribed medications can lead to tolerance (requiring an increasing larger dose to achieve the same effect) and dependence (experience withdrawal symptoms when the medication is discontinued or the dose is reduced). For example, certain members of benzodiazepine class of medications used to treat anxiety can lead to tolerance and dependence within weeks of initiating therapy.
Unfortunately, these and other medications that can lead to tolerance and dependence are often prescribed as “PRN” (“as needed”) medications, a prescription which gives the patient substantial discretion in deciding on the timing (and sometimes the amount) of each dose taken. Even when dosing limits are included in the PRN prescription, this flexibility often leads to escalating dosages which can result in medication tolerance and dependence.
In contrast, other medications (e.g., antipsychotic medications, immunosuppressant medications etc.) tend to be underused by patients which can lead to therapeutic failures caused by poor adherence to prescribed medication regimens.
The foregoing “Background” description is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the inventor, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present invention. The foregoing paragraphs have been provided by way of general introduction, and are not intended to limit the scope of the following claims. The described embodiments, together with further advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.